Chess

Garry Kasparov reviews a biography of Bobby Fischer. I like Kasparov; who else would go from world champion chess player, to being our last bastion against the rise of the machines (OK, so, he played a bunch of matches against a computer* and lost heroically), to being a candidate in the 2008 Russian presidential election? Also, his book review and discussion of Bobby Fischer are really interesting.

*I only just learnt that IBM refused a rematch and dismantled the computer. Proper fishy. One of those Jeopardy guys should challenge Watson to a rematch, see what they do then.

Update, only vaguely related: just discovered this from 2006, when world champion Vladimir Kramnik left a checkmate in one when playing computer program Deep Fritz. That was for you, Chris Levy (although I’d guess you were already aware).